break and build
by BeWhoYouAre99
Summary: Finding out that her husband, Oliver, was in love with his secretary devastated Laurel Queen and to make matters worse, he was leaving her. For an oblivious blonde named Felicity who had no clue that her boss had some non-platonic feelings for her. AU. Olicity.


"You're sleeping with Felicity," breathed Laurel, realization dawning on her as she backed away from her husband. Her husband of five years who was in love with another woman.

"Laur-" his voice was low, eyes downcast, shoulders hunched and expression serious.

She shook her head, swallowing the urge to let out a sob; restrained herself from bursting into tears in front of him-the man she loved. She was better than that, she thought, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. Hands shaking uncontrollably, she extracted his ring from her finger, only to throw it at him.

He didn't even flinch or duck as the cold metal hit his face.

"I've known you for 12 years and been in love with you for 10," she said finally. "How long-" Her voice cracked lightly as she looked directly at his face- a face that she loved so much. "How long have you-" 'been sleeping with her' was what she intended to ask but couldn't continue. How long have you been holding her in your arms and intertwining your hand with hers? How long have you been having an affair with your secretary?

"It isn't like that!" burst out Oliver. "It's never been like that with her." He knew what his wife was insinuating and he wanted her to know that he hadn't physically cheated on her (at least not with Felicity, that is). He hadn't slept with her. Hadn't had an office affair. Hadn't technically betrayed their vows (again) although he'd betrayed her and her heart by giving his away to another.

This was different from everything he'd ever done in the past. It was different and happy and it made sense even when it was complicated in ways he couldn't understand. It was love and it was selfish of him to want someone other than his own wife, but nothing had ever stopped him before, had it? No. Certainly not.

"You haven't had sex with her?" Laurel arched an eyebrow, her eyes widening in incredulity as she quickly racked through all the times he'd cheated on her; all the times he'd lied to her and broken her heart until he mended it again and reminded her why they fell in love in the first place and why she couldn't forget what it felt like to be eighteen and intoxicated. 'Liar' her head screamed at her, as she turned to stare at her husband, who looked as disgruntled as she felt. Watching as he loosened his tie and dropped down onto a bar stool in their living room, she hesitantly approached him and crouched down next to him. "Oliver."

"Laurel." Her name sounded distant on his lips, she thought, as her stomach churned.

She shut her eyes. "I need to know," she all but pleaded, a desperate edge entering her tone. "I need to know and I need to come to terms with this revelation of yours and I need to process this and I need to figure out how we're going to move on from this." She hated how she sounded, despised how pathetic she was being, how weak a woman she was with her cheating husband while the outside world knew her as brave and beautiful and impossible to break. "I need to know how to fix us."

The small knot in Oliver's chest tightened. "There's nothing to fix," he said so quietly that Laurel could've sworn he hadn't said anything at all. "We're done."

His wife froze. This hadn't happened before. He sought other women and had his way with them. And she always found out and screamed and threw things at him. He'd apologize and hold her tightly and remind her that he loved her and no, he wasn't doing right by her and yes, he'd try to change and things would get better and they'd fall back into routine...until it'd all repeat again.

Laurel knew the pattern very well.

"We can't be done!" her voice rose drastically as she got to her feet, swaying slightly. "We aren't and we won't be." Her legs felt as if they would give out any second. This was unfamiliar ground- something she didn't know how to handle-something she did not and could not deal with. Her husband was destroying what they had and all the plans that they'd made over a decade ago were disappearing right before her as she remained stagnant, unable to grab a hold of her life. Unable to salvage her marriage. Unable to hold on to the one man she'd ever loved. Unable to change the one person who always disappointed her and tore her soul into pieces.

"I'm sorry," his voice was still low. "I'm sorry for doing this to you again and again and again, Laurel. You deserve better than this. You always have." His blue orbs were unmistakeningly overcome with pain (and perhaps a hint of self loathing). "And you deserve to be free and happy and I don't deserve you. Or her, for that matter. But I'm working on it. I'm trying to be better-" and maybe, just maybe, one day he'd wake up and be able to look in the mirror and see the kind of man Laurel had always wanted him to be...even if she wasn't the one who'd brought about the change.

Her composed features finally crumbled as she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms. "I love you," she sobbed, her hands reaching for his face, touching his stubble covered cheeks as if to convince herself that he was still there and by her side and not abandoning her for some blonde whore.

"For what it's worth," he began, whispering into her ear, "I loved you too. But it was never enough. And you and I both know I'm not a saint. I'm selfish and I'm not good for you-"

"But you're good for her?!" shouted the brunette, stepping away from him once again.

"She doesn't even know I love her."

And that was what destroyed Laurel Queen the most. Her husband was changing- something that she'd always wanted him to do but he never had and now that he was, it was for someone else. For someone who didn't even know that he loved her.

***0*0***

**So, where do we go next? ;)**


End file.
